Eryn La Fleur
Design Portfolio
Architecture and Landscape Architecture 2022-2024
Eryn La Fleur Education
BachelorofArchitecturalStudiesattheUniversityofCapeTown(2020-2022)
Dean’sMeritListRecipient(2021)
BachelorofLandscapeArchitectureHonours(2024)
University Involvement
FirstYearClassRepresentative(2020)
Fuller Hall House Committee Member- Orientation Week and Memorabilia Portfolio Holder(2021)
StudentFrontDeskAssistantforFullerHallResidence(2022)
FullerHallMentor(2022)
UCTVolleyballTeam-Placed2ndinWomen’sSecondDivision(2024)
Work Experience
2023-2024: Internship as Architectural Technologist atGallagher-LourensArchitects.
2022: Second year work experience module- tasked to develop group’s ceiling design for the Guga S’thebe Theatre in Langa. Then prototyped the designs and oversaw the elements being assembled andinstalledthefollowingyear
2022: Presented ceiling design as part of presentation by Lecturer and Architect Clint AbrahamsattheonlineInternationalColloquia
Well-designed spaces improve people’s quality of life. From the library parks initiative in Medellín, Colombia, to the Kibera Public Space Projects in Nairobi, I am fascinated by the ways that we can solve contemporary problems through design. Landscape Architecture is a keyfieldadvocatingforspatialandenvironmentaljustice, promoting the well-being of people, flora and fauna. I am excited and inspired to continue learning about design through this lens to contribute to creating a more sustainableandequitablefuture.
Program Proficiency
Riverrehabilitationproject Liesbeekrivercorridor,Observatory,CapeTown
UCTCampusquickhand-drawnprojects UniversityofCapeTown,Rondebosch,CapeTown
3rdYearArchitectureMuseumProject RhodesMemorial,Rondebosch,CapeTown
City Skate
Skate Plaza in Cape Town’s CBD
Riebeeck Square, Cape Town
Landscape Architecture Honours
Riebeek Square, Cape Town CBD
Existing Parking Lot
-lively cities, safety, sustainability, and health - can be strengthened immeasurably by increasing the concern for pedestrians, cyclists and city life in general.
Began with a group mapping exercise highlighting safe and unsafe spaces and routesinthecityalongwith pedestrianized routes. This led to the understanding that Bree street (along which Riebeek Square sits)isa pleasant movement corridor.
BreeStreetParkwayImagining
Highlighting Bree street as a favoured pedestrian movement route creates the opportunity to celebrate it as a NMT route throughthecity.
-Jan Gehl: Cities for People
Form Generation
Imagininghowhypotheticalusersenterand move throughthesite.
Model Making Exercise- Movement as Erosion
FocusedonNon-MotorizedTransportmethodswhileaimingtocreatea dynamic andinterestingspaceforpeopleto pause and interact withoneanother.
Skateboardinga confluence of culture and movement.
Skateboarding, though perhaps considered a niche activity, was chosen as the main program for the site in celebrating movement and dynamism in the city. This program would allow for interactions between various users and would contributetothislayeredurbanenvironment.
Central space for activity- drawing people in to interact.
Superkilen and The Red Plaza, Copenhagen Urban Skate Plaza at MRT Ampang Park, Kuala Lumpur
Battery Park, Cape Town
Collaging of model imagery superimposed onto site.
Working Section A-A
Working Section B-B
Existing Trees
New Trees
Paving Types
Planting
surface- red brick pavers matching Cape Town's pedestrian paving language Skate surfaces- concrete with smooth finish
Carissamacrocarpa Dietesgrandiflora Agapanthuspraecox
Searsia crenata Feliciaamelloides Lampranthusamoenus
Harpephyllum affrum
Erythrina lysistemon
Corymbia (eucalyptus) species Ficus (Fig) species
Olea europaea L. subsp. africana
SkatePlaza BikeRentals/Halfpipes
Pedestrianized portion of Buitengracht street- encouraging NMT movement toward Foreshore (business district)
Skate Plaza Axo
The Skate Plaza accommodates rollerskating, skateboarding and bicycle rentals with many spaces to pause and engage withavarietyofusers.
The plaza itself is raised up to sidewalk level which, along with the familiar red brick paving, signals to vehicles that they areinapedestrianandNMTzone.
It is accompanied by the Bree Street Parkway- a proposed pedestrianization initiative for a portion of Bree street between Strand street and Whale street topromoteusingNMTmethods.
Additions
Extendedcycleroutes
Extendedpedestrian streets
BreeStreetParkway RiebeekSquareSkatePark
River Mosaic
Liesbeek River Rehabilitation Project
Liesbeek River, Observatory, Cape Town
Landscape Architecture Honours
Liesbeek River, Observatory
River rehabilitation
Somekeyissuesnotedonsite:
Reeds (Phragmites australis and Typha latifolia) filling wetland areas- not leaving spaceforwadingbirdstoswim.
-hundreds and hundreds of depressions that fill with water in winter to form a mosaic of land and water.
-Water Research Commission: Rivers and Wetlands of Cape Town
Large constructed berm on site disconnects river from floodplain which puts adjacent road at flood risk during rainyseason.
The ‘mosaic’ idea, regarding wetlands of the cape, became the basis for this design. Upon further exploration of the concept, relating to riverine habitats, the ‘mosaic’ was understood to describe the state of having similar yet distinct conditions between habitats that accomodate the needs of a varietyoffloraandfauna.
Extent of alien vegetation- poplar trees, gumtrees,kikuyugrass,portjacksonetc.
Large exposed areas- puts endangered leopard toads at risk when migrating acrosssite.
SitePaintings
Forming the Mosaic
WatercolourExploration-imaginingmosaicofsimilaryetdistincthabitats
The design process involved a series of geometric and topographic explorations endeavouring to create this mosaic of habitats. Ideas of pathways, landforms, wetlands etc. forming these spaces andgeometrieswereexplored.
Hexagon shape arose from design explorationoffered multiple points of connection to link differenthabitatsandspaces
Thedesigndevelopedfurtherbysolidifyingtherolesofdifferentelementstoaidintherehabilitation and the creation of pleasant spaces for visitors. The roles being: 3 habitat types (pond, forest and meadow) and 3 phenomenological experiences (enclosure, exposure and embeddedness).
Flower Berms (hypernature experience)
Existing Swale (extended) filtering stormwater from road above
Seasonal Wetlands (varying depth to accommodate growth of reeds and leave open water for wading birds)
River Platform Details
Conceptual Planting Plan
Syzygium cordatum (tree)
Ilex mitis (tree)
Zantedeschia aethiopica (bulb)
Podalyria calyptrata (shrub)
Alsophila dregei (fern)
Syzygium cordatum (tree)
Ilex mitis (tree)
Zantedeschia aethiopica (bulb)
Podalyria calyptrata (shrub)
Alsophila dregei (fern)
Olea europaea L. subsp. africana (tree)
Ficus macrophylla (tree)
Afrocarpus falcatus (tree)
Podalyria calyptrata (shrub)
Searsia crenata (shurb)
Dicerothamnus rhinocerotis (shrub)
Chrysocoma coma-aurea (shrub)
Eragrostis curvula (grass)
Coleonema pulchellum (shrub)
Ficinia nodosa (grass)
Helichrysum patulum (shrub)
Terrestrial Mix
Harpephyllum caffrum (tree) Erythrina
lysistemon (tree)
Carpobrotus edulis (groundcover)
Polygala virgata (shrub)
Felicia amelloides (shrub)
Eriocephalus africanus (shrub)
Spaces Between
Rethinking Spaces on UCT’s Campus
University of Cape Town, Rondebosch
Landscape Architecture Honours
University of Cape Town Rondebosch
Quick Hand-Drawn Design Exercises
3Sitesover7weeks.Quickdesignexercisesfocusingonhand-drawing Todistilleachsite’sconcept,Iposedaquestionforeachtoguidemydecisionmaking.
Site 3- Parking Area at Southern End of Campus
Q: How do you create a sense of enclosure for a multifunctional,outdoorspace?
Site 2- Passage Between Geomatics and Mechanical Engineering Buildings
*Given a “steampunk” theme
Q: Question: How do you change a movement corridorintoaspaceforpauseandrest?
Q: How do you combine a stormwater management systemandacafeteria?
Site 1- Outdoor Cafeteria Seating Adjacent Library
Rain Garden
Site 1
How do you combine a stormwater management systemandacafeteria?
Concept Development
Ideaforanoutdoorcafeteriaspacethatbetter absorbsandstoresrainwaterthroughsunkenplanting areasandpermeablepaving.Theaddedgreeneryaids incoolinginthesummerwhilecapturingthehigh quantityofrainfallinthewinter.
Initial Response
Raindrops- Watercolour Visualization
Clocktower
Question: How do you change a movement corridorintoaspaceforpauseandrest?
Concept Development
Space for students to slow down and feel in control of their time. Inspired by the prescribed "Steampunk” theme, the design takes inspiration from the components of a clock- 3 main gears, pendulum,weightsandclock-face.
Pincushions Plaza
How do you create a sense of enclosure for a multifunctional,outdoorspace?
Concept Development
Sheltering, relaxing architecture outdoor crit space and performance area. Inspired by the leucospermum to create a protected, held spaceforgatheringandperforming.Afountain and water feature sit at the centre whose soundsaidingeneratingfeelingsofcalmness.
Leucospermum (Pincushions)
Quick concept development exercise
Layered timber posts/ tellises
Landscapes of Memory
Museum
Decolonial
Riebeeck Square, Cape Town CBD
Landscapes of Memory
Decolonial Museum at Rhodes Memorial
This heavy stone memorial has a strong impression on the landscape especially in contrast to its natural surroundings. This demonstrates the desire for its creators to make their lasting mark on the environment. The memorial, although an interesting object in isolation, is a physical representation of the impact that European imperialismhadontheAfricancontinent.
The memorial sets up views to create a grand image of the man Cecil John Rhodes, taking you on a journey through the colonnade, down the steps and toward the view of the city over which the two statues continuetolook.
Form Development
Thedesignembodiesasenseof movement incontrasttothe static,imposingnatureoftheexisting memorial. This idea being inspired by the indigenous Khoi Khoi and San people who moved freely acrossthelandscape.
Maya Lin’s Diagram for the Vietnam War Memorial
HeneghanPeng ArchitectsandLara ZureikatMuseumof Palestine
Sunken exhibition space idea that takes you down into the earth, disconnects you from nature and creates a feeling ofbeingtrapped.
Themuseumwouldtaketheformofa series of exhibition spaces spreadacross,andformedfrom the land and topography. One would progress through the spaces and circle around back to the other side of the memorial with planted berms covering the original steps Invoking a sense of the reclamation of nature.
1.Parkinglot
2.Reception,CaféandTickets
3.Offices
4.RhodesMemorial
5.FirstExhibitionSpace
6.SecondExhibitionSpace
7.OutdoorAuditiorium
8.SilverTreeForest
9.ThirdExhibitionSpace
10.MemorialBerms
Overall View of Scheme- Progression through series of exhibition spaces moving down into and up outfromtheearth.
A- Reception Space
B- Amphitheatre and 2nd Exhibition Space
C- Bermed
Reception and Café
Sunken Exhibition Space
This third exhibition space was designed to create feelings of disconnectedness with nature. A person would progress through a series of rooms of decreasing size and continually encounter walls that restrict their movement. This space signifies the way that imperialists took land away from the Khoi Khoi and San using hedges and walls to block them out of what was once free and open space. Moving toward the exit, the visitor would be reintroduced to the landscape through thelastroom,feelingprotectedbytheearthwhilestillbeingabletolookupontheview.
Bermsonlyvisible fromreverseside
Pathwaybringingvisitors around,viewingmemorial fromadifferentperspective
ExistingRhodesMemorial
Elevatedwalkway fromexisting memorial
Bermmedand plantedsteps
